Conservative radio host Larry Elder announced on Thursday evening that he has suspended his presidential campaign after battling low poll numbers and alleged pushback from the Republican National Committee. Elder, now the fourth longshot candidate to drop out of the race, has thrown his full support behind frontrunner and former President Donald Trump.
In a statement released via X, Elder thanked the enthusiastic grassroots supporters who rallied behind him since his campaign launch in April.
“Throughout my campaign, I have been steadfast in my belief that the biggest issues facing our nation are the crisis of fatherlessness, the dangerous lie that America is systemically racist, the need for an amendment to the constitution to set federal spending to a fixed percentage of the GDP — otherwise government gets bigger whether Republicans or Democrats are in charge—and the need to remove the Soros-backed DAs across the country who refuse to enforce the law,” Elder wrote. “The breakdown of the family structure and the absence of positive father figures in the lives of many children have far-reaching consequences for our society, including the crime wave we are currently seeing in America today.”
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“I hope that my campaign has helped shine a light on these critical issues and sparked important conversations about how we can solve them,” he continued.
Honored to have just met with @realDonaldTrump to lend him my endorsement for President. I am grateful for the support I received from so many of you across the country. Statement below: pic.twitter.com/1LE9PMtv7c
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) October 26, 2023
However, despite his strong platform, Elder’s low fundraising and near-zero polling number kept him off the stage at the first two Republican primary debates. Elder threatened to sue the RNC in August for deliberately silencing him by rejecting his submitted polling data, calling the whole process a “rigged game.” However, this effort did not produce any significant results in his favor and he was unable to qualify for the second debate last month.
As a result, after “careful consideration,” Elder announced that he had “made the difficult decision to suspend my campaign.”
“Now that I am exiting the race, I am proud to announce my endorsement of Donald Trump for President of the United States. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing conservative, America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation,” Elder added. “We must unite behind Donald Trump to beat Joe Biden and fight back against Biden’s unprecedented election interference and the left’s destruction of America.”
Elder also said that he met with former President Trump ahead of his announcement to give his endorsement in person.
It's time to unite behind @realDonaldTrump to beat Joe Biden! pic.twitter.com/VXw6pyem2d
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) October 26, 2023
Larry Elder is now the fourth Republican candidate to drop out of the Trump-dominated field. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was the first to suspend his campaign in late August, followed by former Texas Congressman Will Hurd in early October. Hurd threw his support behind former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is battling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place. Michigan businessman Perry Johnson suspended his campaign last week, giving his endorsement to Trump.
The third Republican primary debate—which Donald Trump is declining to attend—will be held in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, November 8.
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